DaimlerChrysler Middle East beats 2002 sales target

"In 2002, we more than held our own in a difficult market and are five per cent over our target," he said. "This has been helped by significant successes in our commercial vehicles division with sales up 11.6% to 5,044 from 4,520 and record parts sales of US$ 173,294, up significantly from US$115 million in 2001.

"Demand for commercial vehicles was strong with the Actros in particular seeing market share gains across the region and we are set to enter a new market segment in this market with a range of medium sized vehicles.

Last year also saw exceptional regional bus sale successes with over 550 units sold regionally. This year DaimlerChrysler Middle East already has firm orders for over 900 units.

Sales of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars were down from a 2001 sales figure of 12,800 to 11,345.

"This figure is slightly above target because we knew we would be affected by a lack of supply of segment-leading S-Class, E-Class and M-Class vehicles," said Rasmussen. "However, we still retain our leadership in the luxury car segment with sales over 20 per cent higher than our nearest German competitor."

Regionally, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait continued to be perform above their targets with sales in Kuwait up to 1549 from 1466 in 2001.

Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge sales suffered with sales down 20 per cent from 7633 in 2001 to 6104. However, the final quarter of last year saw sales bucking the downward trend with an increasing acceptance of the high quality range of award winning vehicles for fleet use.

"After Sales has seen the biggest expansion and we are working on bringing in MOPAR® brand parts for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles by the middle of 2003. Our Jebel Ali facility will then house some 75,000 stock keeping units (sku's) giving us the largest dedicated spare parts warehouse in the region.

Rasmussen said 2003 promised to be a challenging year particularly with tension in the region and the Euro US dollar exchange rate.

"Last year we were realistic when we set our targets and have done the same for this year," he said.

Rasmussen announced that the Maybach luxury saloon would enter the market in the first quarter of this year and that the smart city car would be launched into selected markets.

"Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge sales will also be helped by the introduction of the segment-busting PT Cruiser at the end of the first quarter," added Rasmussen. "The PT underlines Chrysler's ability to offer exciting vehicles that appeal to buyers looking for innovative designs, high quality and an improved ownership experience.

"Last year, with the performance, investment and committment of our general distributors we over achieved our targets. This year, again with their considerable co-operation, DaimlerChrysler will continue to be a major force in the Middle East's automarkets with a range of segment leading cars, off -road and commercial vehicles that offer more than state-of-the-art driving experiences."